Friday, August 31, 2012

PERFECT! I wanted to see this part of the movie so badly I was afraid I shouldn't spoil it beforehand, but the clip is quite short so I personally don't feel as though I have betrayed anything by doing so.

Fair warning though - this is the trademarked phrase from Judge Dredd, "I am the law" and he is using it in the movie so if you want a pristine viewing experience, stop watching these things!

Continuing on, I am over the top with this movie - everything looks amazing and paying tribute to the original intent of the comic (that I can see thus far anyway). Can't wait!

Here's the movie's storyline:The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One–a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called “Judges” who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Karl Urban) is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge–a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of “Slo-Mo” experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed.

Yikes! An impressively disturbing poster for John Luessenhop's TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D has been dropped and it certainly captures the flavor of the franchise, does it not?

The movie 'head'lines Alexandra Daddario, Tania Raymonde, and Scott Eastwood (Yes, he's the son of Clint).

Here's the storyline for the movie:Lionsgate’s TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D continues the legendary story of the homicidal Sawyer family, picking up where Tobe Hooper’s 1974 horror classic left off in Newt, Texas, where for decades people went missing without a trace. The townspeople long suspected the Sawyer family, owners of a local barbeque pit, were somehow responsible. Their suspicions were finally confirmed one hot summer day when a young woman escaped the Sawyer house following the brutal murders of her four friends. Word around the small town quickly spread, and a vigilante mob of enraged locals surrounded the Sawyer stronghold, burning it to the ground and killing every last member of the family – or so they thought.Decades later and hundreds of miles away from the original massacre, a young woman named Heather learns that she has inherited a Texas estate from a grandmother she never knew she had. After embarking on a road trip with friends to uncover her roots, she finds she is the sole owner of a lavish, isolated Victorian mansion. But her newfound wealth comes at a price as she stumbles upon a horror that awaits her in the mansion’s dank cellars…

**Editor's Note: Welcome Adam Shear! Adam attends SUNY Oswego in upstate NY where he studies broadcasting and mass communication. He has contributed to LevelSave.com and TripTronicTech.com and I'm excited to have him aboard.

Adam here. After an impressive showing of 4K projection technology at CES, Sony has finally announced its first ever 4K television.4K, also called Ultra High Definition, has four times a greater picture than 1080p HD.

The Sony XBR-84X900 will be 84 inches and capable of displaying native 4K content. This Ultra High Definition set is also Sony's first TV to use passive 3D technology.Because there are more pixels, you can finally get a full 1080p picture in each eye. It also has virtual 5.1 surround sound built in to the speakers.

While there is no native 4K content available now, it could come soon in the form of digital content stored on hard drives. In a brochure I received from Sony at CES, it was explained that Blu ray disc players can be upgraded to play native 4K, the same way in which upgrades were needed to play Blu ray 3D content.

Select Sony stores will have the XBR-84X900 on display starting September 6 with it releasing sometime in the near future, I would guess in the next six months to a year.

I'm really glad to finally see a 4K TV from Sony. At CES this past year, I attended their 4K Experience which showed off not just native 4K content, but also 1080p content up-scaled to 4K. I was really impressed. It also makes perfect sense for Sony to move to passive 3D. Now that users can get a full 3D HD picture, there really isn't a need to buy a $100 pair of battery powered glasses. It's just easier to get a $10 pair of glasses with no technology inside of them. It might take a few years for 4K to really catch on, but 4K will really enhance the home theater experience, even more so than 1080p HDTVs currently have.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Phobia Films Announces Title Of Their First Motion Picture, DREADLOCK.

DARTMOUTH, Nova Scotia (August 29, 2012) - Phobia Films is proud to reveal the title of their first motion picture production, DREADLOCK.

Says Mr. Dorey:"We're now in a position to enthusiastically announce the working title for Phobia Film's first project previously known as 'Project Annapolis'."

DREADLOCK is being directed, produced, written and scored by Jim Dorey. Andrew Steeves is executive producing and managing physical production.

Says Mr. Steeves,"Locations are being scouted now in Nova Scotia and crew are being assembled for a summer 2013 lensing. We're excited to be moving into initial public awareness for the production."

"DREADLOCK is a character driven, horror / thriller solidly based in fact and science,"smiles Mr. Dorey."Suspension of disbelief will be among our top priorities. When we decide to scare you, be prepared to apologize to the person beside you. We specialize in eliciting primal screams."

Phobia Films was founded by Jim Dorey in 2012 as a Thriller / Horror / Action genre entertainment production company with a special love of stereoscopic 3D. Phobia Films is headquartered in the fast growing film production city of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Yes, I'm in deep with this thing! Thank you for all the support I've gotten already, from so many. Can't wait to start shooting, but in the meantime plenty of work to be done... Stay tuned with all Phobia Films updates right here!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

We have some pretty cool new spy shots from the outdoor set of THOR: THE DARK WORLD which is shooting in Bourne Wood, England. This fictional village has four pillars surrounding a group of yurts (huge portable tents).

THOR: THE DARK WORLD will be shooting on location here until sometime in September.

Here's how Marvel's Kevin Feige described the movie's storyline:"We’re going to take Thor literally to other worlds -It will primarily be the journey of that character, of he and Jane Foster and how the new dynamic with his father is working out, as well as what are the broader stakes for The Nine Worlds."

Monday, August 27, 2012

Tim here. In a surprise announcementout of Orlando, where the Star Wars Celebration VI event is taking place,Lucasfilm announced that Star Wars Episodes II Attack of the Clones in 3D and Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith in 3D will be released in theaters back to back in fall of 2013. The second and third prequel will be arriving September 20th and October 11th, respectively. No reason was given for the back to back release.

The dates were revealed in a very amusing manner: Via a video of The Emperor himself, Ian McDiarmid, saying the date, only for George Lucas – who it turned out was sitting beside him – to tell him to repeat what he said, “Faster and more intense.”

Earlier this year Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace in 3D was released in theaters. The original plan was to release the next 5 each year after that. Menace was released in February, and the push back to September for Clones may be to help the conversion, but as IGN reported earlier this weekend the footage shown at Celebration VI was impressive. You can read that full article here.

Some highlight impressions from IGN reporter Eric Goldman's experience (emphasis mine): "In the opening sequence of the Naboo cruiser arriving on Coruscant, the ship truly seemed to be coming out of the side of the screen. And there was a lot of cool 3D visuals in the footage we saw of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s speeder chase through Coruscant – especially when Anakin leapt from the speeder down towards Zam Wesell, and Anakin himself appeared to be a physically present figure, falling away from the viewer into the distance."

At the preview ILM’s Dennis Muren (Visual Effects on all six Star Wars films) and John Knoll (Visual Effects Supervisor on the Special Editions and the prequels) discussed the conversion process with the collected audience. They spoke about how meticulous and time-consuming it is— about a year-long in total for each film. As you all know it involves going through the entire film frame by frame to separate the elements and making sure the 3D looks correct while giving objects the proper amount of depth. In some cases, the shift in perspective in a scene has led to new digital work needing to be done. An example was shown from the end of Attack of the Clones... the scene where Palpatine and the politicians look down on the Clone Troopers and their ships. As the 3D caused a slightly different angle with blank spaces on the background which needed to be filled in. ILM had to use use the original matte paintings and backgrounds in order to fill that blank space in.

Since this whole process involves going back into a lot of the digital elements, Knoll admitted, “We might have archived things a bit differently if we knew we were coming back to it,” noting with Phantom Menace, they were dealing with elements from “13, 14 years ago. The backups only last so long. Sometimes the priorities on what you back up change over the time.” Knoll said the process had been easier on Attack of the Clones than Phantom Menace because, "The newer the film is, the easier it is to go into the archives and recover things." This makes a lot of sense.

During the closing ceremonies, the sizzle reel for Attack of the Clones 3D was shown again, along with a new addition – the first moments of the space battle over Coruscant that begin Revenge of the Sith, converted into 3D.IGN's Goldman says, "this tease of that scene from Sith – which was always visually stunning – was pretty spectacular, hinting that Sith, like Clones, has undergone a very impressive 3D conversion that is far superior to the one The Phantom Menace had."

I'm excited for the conversions of these movies. Although I wasn't a fan of the prequels, and have doubts the issues I have with them will be resolved from a 3D upgrade, I'm still interested. I'm most excited for the Original Trilogy to get the 3D treatment. However, I might add that the conversion on those could be more difficult because there are less digital elements.

Here's the movie's storyline:Susan and her sons Dane and Lucas Thompson move from Brooklyn to Bensonville, in the countryside. Dane is upset with the constant changes of address and the family has lived in many cities. Lucas and Dane befriend their next door neighbor, the gorgeous Julie and the brothers find a bottomless hole in the basement of their house locked with several padlocks. They take the locks off and sooner they are haunted by their darkest fears. Further, they believe that the hole might be a gateway to hell.

Click over to Yahoo! for the HD version. For all of our coverage of THE HOLE, click here.

We've got a few more quotable quotes from Urban in this one too - I won't give them away and spoil them for you! Watch it!

Here's the movie's storyline:In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Tim here. Variety has reported that The International 3D Society and the 3D@Home Consortium have merged into one company. Here is the official press release:

In the world of 3D, maybe one is better than two.

The industry's two top 3D organizations - the International 3D Society (I3DS) and the 3D@Home Consortium - are merging into a single association, effective immediately.

The move also merges the two orgs' rosters, with the combined org -- monikered the International 3D Society and 3D@Home -- comprising members in 20 countries and chapters in North America, China, Japan, Korea, Europe and the U.K. Leadership at both orgs has ratified the merger.

"This newly formed organization will serve to spearhead the growth and expansion of the 3D entertainment industry across the entire ecosystem - from content conception and development, to consumer education and adoption," said Tom Cosgrove, co-chair of the combined org, who's also prexy and CEO of 3net, the 3D channel co-venture of Discovery, Sony and Imax.

Dan Schinasi, the org's other co-chair and senior TV planner at Samsung Electronics, believes 3D in-home consumption will be spurred by dropping prices in consumer electronics. "3D entertainment in the home has become an affordable proposition, with entry-level sets falling below $1,000," he said. Schinasi added that new platforms such as 3D Blu-ray discs and 3D streaming of sports and entertainment channels will contribute to the growth of the 3D medium.

"From supporting content creators to educating consumers, our two groups have distinguished themselves in providing neutral, non-branded information," said Jim Mainard, past chair at I3DS and head of digital strategy at DreamWorks Animation. "Their combined power and scope will maximize our ability to steadily grow 3D across countless media platforms in education."

I3DS topper Jim Chabin will lead the new org, whose membership includes more than 60 companies and 500 individuals. Studio and TV members include Disney, DreamWorks Animation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Pixar, ESPN, Turner Broadcasting, BSkyB and National Geographic Cinema Ventures.

About the International 3D Society And 3D@Home Consortium
The International 3D Society & 3D@Home Consortium advances 3D content, products and adoption through recognition, networking, communication for professionals and consumers. With over 60 companies and 500 professional members, the organization honors the year’s best during its 3D Technology and 3D Creative Awards programs; hosts worldwide meetings, workshops and demonstrations; and manages many online resources to assist consumers and professionals to further understand and integrate 3D into their lives. Visit: www.International3DSociety.com, www.3DatHome.org, and 3DUniversity.net to explore the full range of 3D information available.

As you may know, I'm trying to help get an independent movie off the ground for a 3D horror-comedy COCAINE SLEEPOVER (this is not the project that I am working on with Phobia Films) and it seems Shane and Daniella have plateaued around 10-13% in the last few weeks. They are only seeking to hit $80k which isn't a lot really considering what they have to get done and the slice that Kickstarter and Amazon keep.

COCAINE SLEEPOVER is a grindhouse style horror with solid tongue in cheek. Looks hilarious! For more info about how to support the project, click here.

So if you would like more information on how to help make a cool 3D horror-comedy happen be sure to check out their Kickstarter project and pledge support for some very cool gifts. They only have 10 more days to go to collect another $69k or the project doesn't get funded at all. I'm pretty selective with any project that I help get the word out on, so you can count on a professional movie getting made if the micro-lend is successful.

The guys at COCAINE SLEEPOVER have decided to push the limits of practical, hands on marketing and take their campaign to Times Square and other New York hangouts - and you can follow them with this new video of their exploits. Love how they are putting everything they have into this - everything to get the movie done. They are far from giving up!

I truly hope they are successful because it looks like a blast of a movie to get made!

Well Pixar may not have known it at the time of making FINDING NEMO that it would make such a great 3D movie - but clearly it is such a beast. All those underwater scenes, floating objects in front of you, surface water approaching the camera and particulate matter suspended in mid-water all are going to make for stunning immersion and I can't wait to see it!Indeed, the creative talent behind the movie used all of these advantages to help shape the 3D conversion final rendering of the movie.

FINDING NEMO was already in my top five Pixar movies of all time and now adding on 3D? A no-brainer really.

Here's the storyline for the movie:In the colorful and warm tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef, a Clownfish named Marlin lives safe and secluded in a quiet cul-de-sac with his only son, NEMO. Fearful of the ocean and its unpredictable risks, he struggles to protect his son. Nemo, like all young fish, is eager to explore the mysterious reef. When Nemo is unexpectedly taken far from home and thrust into a dentist's office fish tank, Marlin finds himself the unlikely hero on an epic journey to rescue his son. In his quest, Marlin is joined by a good Samaritan named Dory, a Regal Blue Tang fish with the worst short-term memory and biggest heart in the entire ocean. As the two fish continue on their journey, encountering numerous dangers, Dory's optimism continually forces Marlin to find the courage to take risks and overcome his fears. In doing so, Marlin gains the ability to trust and believe, like Dory, that things will work out in the end. Confronting seabirds, sewer systems, and even man himself, father and son's fateful separation ends in triumph. And the once-fearful Marlin becomes a true hero in the eyes of his son, and the entire ocean.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Yes, glasses-free (autostereoscopic) 3D technology is advancing. It's been advancing for a very long time, especially in the past 7 years and on hand-held devices. I've seen a plethora of these ideas come and go."I've solved it! We have the technology to take away 3D glasses from watching stereoscopic movies!"

Right. Prove it. Don't show me in some darkened convention booth with my feet firmly planted in a small yellow circle painted on the floor. Prove it pragmatically - in a theater, with me sitting in all regions of place. I want to move my head around a bit for comfort, shift in my seat. And I want perfect, high resolution with support for up to at least 60 frames per second. Can't do it? Don't waste my time!

Much has been said and shared about the recent Wired article praising a new glasses-free 3D technology out of South Korea - I just shake my head in disgust. First of all the whole article is biased against 3D to begin with - here's its first sentence:"Watching 3-D movies generally means suffering through two things: crappy plotlines that favor spectacle over substance and the need to wear some annoying, dorky glasses."

Right. I've got news for you Adam Mann (author of the post), hating 3D is soooooo 2010. We're past it. Huge infrastructure investments have been made, movie goers support the format, most of the world's creative talent have embraced it and we are well past such ignorant journalism. You want something to hate that is actually in vogue? High frame rates. I am actually heavily in favor of HFR, but I can understand why others need to be heard right now to help shape its future - just as others voiced there opinion and helped shape 3D's future 6 years ago when I started MarketSaw. Back then, I helped educate and thoroughly evangelized 3D in all forums because most people needed it. Today, they're educated for the most part. Putting on 3D glasses for 2 hours is no more annoying than wearing sunglasses at the beach for 2 hours. It's old news. Very old.If and when glasses-free technology exists THAT WORK, I will be first in line. But before then, there is NO story here. Ridiculous waste of time. The current polarized 3D glasses are just fine thank you.

Click to enlarge

And about the whole supposed point of the Wired post - a NEW method that could allow glasses-free 3D in theaters - complete hogwash. That's lenticular technology (the vertical lines are clearly seen in this photo from their post) and it's been around for a VERY long time. It still has the same issues, the same frustrations. There is nothing new about it. Oh it's projected? WOW! That's novel! Not.

And other movie sites pick up the story! Spreading this misleading story. Why? It's Wired. A fairly good name in breaking tech stories. Heck MarketSaw has even been featured in it. Seeing how they've handled this fiasco though, brings me a great deal of pause. Wired ain't what it used to be it seems.

Here's my final word: Lenticular 3D has been around a very long time. It works - modestly in small scale situations, like movie posters. If you move your head around a bit, it doesn't work. It's horrible with resolutions. Artifacts exist in motion. Dead zones exist depending on your position relative to the screen. Now you're saying that you want to PROJECT this mess on to a HUGE screen and call it progress? Please.

Come back when you have something that actually works well and has the potential to work well.

As anyone who follows me in my social circles has noticed since the untimely death of director Tony Scott, I have been vocal in my shock and in my remembrance of the man. I had refrained from posting anything on MarketSaw because I didn't think I could represent him well enough.

Well as it turns out, my friend Barry Sandrew (who runs Legend3D) posted a heartfelt memorial to Scott on his blog REFLECTIONS ON THE GROWTH OF 3D that resonated with me and I thought this would be appropriate to share with my readers. I have already retweeted his post and shared via Facebook and Google+ but wanted MarketSaw to be a part of it too.

What really captured my attention was just how down to earth and candid Mr. Scott was. Approachable. And what a visionary! He saw what 3D could do for TOP GUN and embraced it. His first comment to the Legend3D team (who did the 3D conversion for TOP GUN 3D) was "Legend3D, you guys are f___king awesome!" and he treated them with no ego whatsoever. I let a huge smile spread across my face when I read his comment.I think he probably knew the effect of awe he had on others. People that have worked with him over the years know. I never had the pleasure of meeting the man and I wish I had. So this is my memorial for Tony, vicariously through Barry: Godspeed to you Mr. Scott. You had the big picture. My thoughts have been and will be with the Scott family.

The videos I have below include outtakes from Reeves' discussions with James Cameron, David Fincher, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Steven Soderbergh, Wally Pfister, Robert Rodriguez, The Wachowskis and John Malkovich.

And these are just the outtakes! The content in the edited documentary must be totally enthralling.

Oh and I have Soderbergh leading into Wally Pfister's clip by design. I think you will see why.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Has Cumberbatch spoiled when we see Smaug? Perhaps, and I think reasonably so. If you don't want to be spoiled about the very potentially real time when you will first see the dragon Smaug in THE HOBBIT movies, don't read on.

For me though, I fully anticipated this ending to the first movie. I think any sane person would have expected it to be this way too. How else would you best set up THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN?

Anyway here's what Benedict Cumberbatch had to say about when we would see Smaug:"I think my eye might open at the end of the first film and then you’ll get the rest of me in the second."

There is some conjecture that this timing may not happen now that director Peter Jackson is adding a third HOBBIT movie, but for me - no worries. I don't think anything is changing. The third movie will just be the bridge material found in the appendices of THE RETURN OF THE KING. Could be wrong, but that's my true feeling on it. THERE AND BACK AGAIN will still be the second movie in my mind.

Finally we are going to be able to enjoy James Cameron's top two grossing movies (that just so happen to be the top two grossing movies of all time) in 3D and in our homes. We heard about AVATAR and now it's TITANIC's turn.

Here's the press release: The two billion-dollar box office phenomenon and winner of 11 Academy Awards®, TITANIC, makes its highly anticipated debut on Blu-ray 2D and 3D on September 14, 2012 from Paramount Home Media Distribution and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Available in high definition for the first time ever, James Cameron’s timeless and unforgettable tour de force will be presented in stunning 2D and 3D, providing a cinematic in-home experience of TITANIC like never before. Marking 101 years ago today that the RMS Titanic was launched into the Belfast Lough, film fans worldwide can now pre-order the epic love story on Blu-ray 2D or Blu-ray 3D™ with participating online retailers.Cameron commented, “Blu-ray extends TITANIC’s immersive 3D theatrical experience into audiences’ homes, where their living room becomes the backdrop for big spectacular environments and intense action, as well as profoundly intimate human moments, allowing generations of fans—new and old—to truly become part of the movie like never before.”Presented in a four-disc 2D Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with Digital Copy or, for the ultimate experience in fully immersive 3D, in a four-disc Blu-ray 3D and 2D combo pack with Digital Copy, this high-definition presentation of TITANIC is a must have for film fans’ home media collections. Both sets feature more than 2 1/2 hours of new bonus footage never-before-released on disc, including a fascinating in-depth exploration of the film with James Cameron, as well as documentary footage produced by National Geographic with James Cameron that brings the world’s leading RMS Titanic experts together to solve the lingering mysteries of why and how the “unsinkable” ship sank.The sets also boast previously released special features including 30 deleted scenes, over 60 behind-the-scenes featurettes, a look at the groundbreaking visual effects, over 2,000 photos, three commentaries and much, much more. TITANIC will also be available for the first time ever for digital download.Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the roles that would make them global stars, TITANIC tells the story of the epic romance between two star-crossed lovers set against the backdrop of the legendary and ill-fated maiden voyage of the “ship of dreams.”

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Wow. Gorgeous new shots from Ang Lee's LIFE OF PI continue to floor me with their visuals. The color palette that Lee is using is stunning!

Here's the storyline from the book:The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes.The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days while lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them “the truth.” After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional – but is it more true?

After the successes of Katy Perry's and Justin Bieber's 3D concert movies (with liberal backstage access), Jennifer Lopez is looking to tap the same barrel.

DANCE AGAIN will apparently take us through Lopez's last few years including her AMERICAN IDOL appearances, filming, music and Marc Anthony issues - in other words, doing just what Katy Perry did, bringing her personal life (Russell Brand) up on the big screen.

I am a huge fan of the genre. Personal matters aside, the music, emotion and dazzling 3D that has been displayed thus far with this type of concert movie never fails to amaze. For me, it all started with U2 3D.

The current craze for 3D dance movies further underscore the power of 3D to portray emotion in dance and bring us into the action (3ality Technica - STEP UP REVOLUTION; Cameron Pace Group - STEP UP 3D).

I'll let you know when we get more word, whose working on it (3D crew or if it's a conversion) and a release date for the production.

Marvel is seemingly stepping forward with their top choice for the upcoming GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and that director's name is James Gunn. It's an interesting choice as he has no big budget experience but he does seem to have an innate ability to blend together horror, comedy and a good dose of dramatic narrative - certainly the comedy is a staple of Marvel's existence.

It's also an indication that GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY could go a bit darker than the other Marvel movies. Completely an assumption though.

Of course Joss Whedon probably has had a big hand in the selection of Gunn as they have similar traits in filmmaking.

Keep in mind that this is yet another ensemble film and so is extremely difficult to shoot effectively. So many dynamics and you have to build all those characters to some level of appreciation too. Top that with the fact that the GUARDIANS characters are going to need a lot of work for suspension of disbelief. Not to worry though, Marvel has shown an amazing tenacity in making that facet work with previous efforts.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Have a fun look at something that is near and dear to my heart - no phones during the movie. Of course, no talking or kicking the seat in front of you, but definitely NO PHONES.

I appreciate that two 3D movies are stepping up to the plate to help out and even though it is clearly part of their marketing thrust, the effort really does help. Money well spent.

So below are the FINDING NEMO 3D and Tim Burton's FRANKENWEENIE public service announcements for the movie going public and the general consensus etiquette we should all strive to adhere to for maximum enjoyment of the movies...

FRANKENWEENIE opens on October 5 and FINDING NEMO 3D opens September 14.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Check out this interview with PARANORMAN's directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler who tell it like it is. You can tell these guys are so proud of all the work they have obviously put into this movie. If you enjoy true art forms, then you should be lining up for Laika's PARANORMAN.

Says Butler:"There has never been a stop motion movie this big before."

From NBCUniversal Direct:This Friday August 17th, Focus Features releases the comedy thriller ParaNorman in theaters nationwide. Following Focus' Academy Award-nominated Coraline, ParaNorman is the second stop-motion animated feature to be made at LAIKA Studios in 3D, unifying the two stunning art forms to tell an all-new frightfully funny, magically emotional, and hilariously spooky story.We talked to the movie's directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler about balancing comedy and creepy, what it was like directing actors doing voice work, and why you should truly see this movie in 3D!

Here's the movie's storyline:
A small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he'll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst, of all, grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.

Note that Joss Whedon will be overseeing these projects on their way to another massive AVENGERS release. Perfect! I couldn't be happier. Also of note is that ANT-MAN may make an appearance somewhere along the line, but that movie should be one of Marvel's lesser tier movies that I don't think will led into THE AVENGERS 2.

Here's the press release:The Walt Disney Studios has announced a release date for Marvel Studios’ sequel to the biggest Super Hero blockbuster and third highest grossing film of all time, Marvel’s The Avengers. Joss Whedon returns to write and direct the UNTITLED MARVEL’S AVENGERS SEQUEL set for release May 1, 2015.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

"Good so far" news coming directly from Steven Spielberg on what options he's investigating for his next movie, ROBOPOCALYPSE.

Says Spielberg:"I'm going to do an IMAX camera test, [both] a 2 and 3D test for my next movie 'Robopocalypse,' and I haven't decided whether I'm going to use the IMAX cameras, and I haven't decided whether it's going to be 2D or 3D yet, but I am in September going to start doing some tests."

Shooting will reportedly take place in Montreal (Mel's Cité du Cinema Studios) with a very healthy budget of $200 million. The studio's owner, Michel Trudel broke the story to the CBC back in November.

Here's the storyline from the best selling book:In the near future, an increasingly robot-reliant society faces extinction after a computer scientist accidentally unleashes a sentient artificial intelligence named Archos. After failed attempts at making the AI less intelligent, Archos becomes self-aware and immediately takes steps to stop the Earth's destruction. Since humans have been polluting the Earth (determined to be the only source of life in the galaxy), Archos makes them his prime target. By infecting all devices that are chip controlled (cars, elevators, robots, etc.), Archos begins a systematic attack on the human race. Small bands of survivors find ways to circumvent the eradication and survive without the modern technology. This is a story of those survivors in the months and days leading up to and following Archos' date of attack, Day Zero.

Personally, I think ROBOPOCALYPSE is begging to be in 3D and of course IMAX 3D too. C'mon Steve!

Universal has changed the release schedule of a couple of their 3D movies - namely 47 RONIN and JURASSIC PARK 3D.

Everything we've heard and seen from Keanu Reeves new samurai movie 47 RONIN looks like it's really going to impress. The movie has been moved from February to Christmas 2013 (and it was originally slated for a November 2012 launch). Director Carl Rinsch probably has some fairly intense visual effects that need to be perfected and thus the time shift. An argument can certainly be made that the move wasn't done as a defensive maneuver as Christmas is a much more crowded market than February.Further, Universal has pulled up JURASSIC PARK 3D from July 19 to April 5, 2013. Generally this move is being seen as simply a better marketplace for revisiting Steven Spielberg's dinosaur classic - now sporting a modern new 3D conversion.

Looks like these moves make a lot of sense, so I'm happy in the end...

Monday, August 13, 2012

Ever thought about getting involved with a 3D movie production but not quite sure about the best way of going about doing that? Kickstarter is an innovative approach to crowd source funding and it works particularly well with independent movies.

Its going to be a full length feature movie hot in native 3D that reimagines '70s grindhouse, with the campy absurdism of Peter Jackson's Dead Alive. Think Bridesmaids meets Tarantino in 3D.

I'm liking the project and the talent that's attached so much, that I am working with the creators to help get this thing made. I think it looks amazing so far and so do the fine people at 21st Century 3D- they too are teaming up with director Shane Duckworth and actress Daniella Pineda to make it happen. 21st are providing a 3D beam splitter, 3D monitors, specialized matching cinema lenses for 3D, and most important, talent and over 20 years of experience in 3D production.Personally I think the whole effort will be worth it. The end result is going to look fantastic and it sounds as though this independent satirical horror movie will kick it up a notch to a whole new level.

Shane Duckworth is both a director and cinematographer and has worked on major Hollywood films like TERMINATOR SALVATION, BROTHERS and OBSERVE AND REPORT. He co-directed the award winning movie WITHOUT A CROWD and shot the highly praised album trailer for Sleigh Bells' REIGN OF TERROR. He is now shooting for PROJECT RUNWAY and has just opened Brooklyn Movie Works with partner Jon Cooper.

But to really get a feeling for the project, you have to check out the introduction for the Kickstarter project:

So what do you think? I definitely want you to consider this project as a way to get involved with a 3D movie and not only that, but a movie that I personally think will work. They are not asking for a lot of money here because so much is being donated to the greater cause, and the professionalism is going to be there for this horror comedy.

A perfect way to get involved in 3D. So check out the various rewards that are available for each donation level (you could even be a Producer on this thing!) and get excited! I know I am.

Watch the personal invitation from James Cameron to at long last purchase and enjoy AVATAR in the way it was meant to be seen: In 3D, in your home and on any 3D television set.

For the past couple of years, AVATAR 3D has been tied up in an unique marketing agreement with Panasonic that would only allow the distribution of the blu-ray 3D with a new Panasonic 3D television.

That agreement will expire on October 15th (worldwide) and the 16th (North America) and then you may buy the Avatar Blu-ray 3D in stores.

Of course by now you know that AVATAR is the highest grossing movie of all time, and by a long shot. It has resonated around the world with its cutting edge 3D experience and message of environmental awareness. Now you can own it, even if you don't own a Panasonic 3D television.

The New York Film Festival (NYFF, running Sep 28 to Oct 14) is celebrating 50 years in the business this year and to top that off they are opening the show with a 3D movie for the first time ever. Ang Lee's LIFE OF PI gets the nod as the intensely artistic project nears its release date of November 21 in North America.

If you have seen the trailer for the movie, then you are beginning to get an idea of what to expect from it.

Here's the storyline from the book:The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes.The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days while lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them “the truth.” After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional – but is it more true?

I'll have more about the movie and its reception at the NYFF as it happens.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Couple of new posters for you from promising and upcoming 3D movies - DREDD and CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: WORLD'S AWAY.

First up is the graffiti style poster for Karl Urban's DREDD. Reminiscent of how Sony tackled some of the viral marketing for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, Lionsgate is now leveraging the maneuver and I think for the most part it works. The symbolism is clearly targeted at Dredd's helmet and the 'X' design where his eyebrows would be underneath.

DREDD opens on September 21.

-- CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: WORLD'S AWAY is a completely different genre movie altogether! While DREDD is a solid 'R' for a rating, WORLD'S AWAY will focus on a family experience. The poster offers a cinematic take on what will surely be sensory overload for the eyes.

The athletes of the Cirque are one of kind. This movie should also be one of a kind, and if you haven't seen the trailer yet, you can click over right here.

Produced by none other than James Cameron, we should be taken on quite a visionary journey to the world of Cirque du Soleil. Have you seen any of their work? If so, you can imagine what this will be like - all shot in native 3D using the equipment and expertise of the Cameron | Pace Group.

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

In what appears to be a landmark collaboration, the Cameron | Pace Group (CPG) have signed on with two Chinese companies, providing them with stereoscopic 3D technology and services. The two companies are Tianjin North Film Group, a movie and television production company, and Tianjing Binhai Hi-Tech Development Group, who operate a tech park in Tianjin, situated east of Beijing where the venture will be based. China Central Television (CCTV) is also in talks with CPG's China Division for a potential third deal for the Vince Pace, James Cameron led company in the world's most populous country.

Says veteran stereographer Vince Pace:"We play a support role. We're there to help the expression of creativity and artistry."

Expands director James Cameron: "We're not going to tell Chinese film makers how to make movies. We are going to help them make a transition to 3D production technology as cost effectively as possible, and in a way that doesn't inhibit creativity."

It is apparently a great win-win scenario here. The Chinese companies clearly get top 3D industry expertise in technology and services, while CPG gains that business - a toehold in that exploding new Chinese 3D market. Further, some research, development and manufacturing of CPG's equipment will take place now in China.

Here's Cameron on the topic:"This is a huge investment for us, as much in sweat equity ... as it is financially."

"We expect (CCTV if they adopt 3D) to expand very rapidly, from initially maybe a handful of productions a year to, two or three years from now, we could be talking about thousands of hours of TV production. That's our goal, in any case."

"This is an enormous untapped market that is right on the verge of the transition from 2D to 3D,"said Cameron."This is the best place for us to create a kind of second home."

CPG is not the only Hollywood company seeking business ventures in the country. Dreamworks Animation will be opening a $3 billion theme park in Shanghai by 2016 and will also make at least part of KUNG FU PANDA 3 in China. Further, the IRON MAN 3 will be co-produced with a Chinese partner according to Disney.

With AVATAR 2 and it's potential release year of 2015 approaching, will CPG look into using the Chinese connection to help make the sequels? Potentially yes. Says Cameron: "There have been some very preliminary discussions about co-production potential here in China." Realistically though, I'm thinking that there may some scenes shot in the country, but at least for AVATAR 2 much of decisions may have been made. If you take a look at Cameron's recent activity in New Zealand, it seems that country will benefit the most from the upcoming blockbusters.

China for it's part has announced (March 2012) it will let an additional 14 foreign films into their country on the condition that they are made in 3D or IMAX. They have also raised the foreign share of allowable ticket sales to 25 percent. China's ticket sales continue to rise - up by a third last year alone ($2 billion).

In a potential film market such as China, these trailblazing deals have the silver lining to be very large down the road too. The Cameron | Pace Group earned $58 million last year from providing 3D services and equipment and it certainly seems that the future is continually growing for CPG with deals like this in the hopper.

Is there a danger of losing the technology to poor imitations in China like other industries have seen happen?Yes, but Cameron downplayed it:"That's certainly a danger. We are going to look very carefully at how we protect our core technology. But frankly... it is changing so rapidly that you can clone what we are putting in the field now, but we'll be coming out with something new in 18 months, anyway."

So congratulations to everyone on the Cameron | Pace Group team! Well deserved piece of business there and future success!

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

It's official folks so it's time to take a collective sigh of relief. Joss Whedon, the helm of the $1.5 BILLION juggernaut known as THE AVENGERS has signed on to direct THE AVENGERS 2 for Marvel.

Says Disney:"Joss Whedon has signed an exclusive deal with Marvel Studios for film and television through the end of June 2015. As part of that deal, Whedon will write and direct Marvel's The Avengers 2 as well as help develop a new live action series for Marvel Television at ABC. He will also contribute creatively to the next phase of Marvel's cinematic universe."

There's talk of THE AVENGERS 2 getting a release in the already very exciting year of 2015 (AVATAR 2, PROMETHEUS 2 may be lining up too) so be prepared for that possible eventuality.

If you have the time, I recommend watching these amazing behind the scenes (BTS) clips from Laika's PARANORMAN. I've also thrown in a time lapse of the manual work that it takes to slowly move a character(s) along frame by frame.

Laika are the same guys that created the 3D stop motion movie CORALINE. Their expertise is beyond reproach and the work that goes into a feature length stop motion movie is really very remarkable.

There's about 20 minutes of total footage here, and definitely worth your while. Love how they create the bodies and faces of the characters - those new 3D printers are very cool; I need to get one!

Here's the movie's storyline:A small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he'll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst, of all, grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.

Monday, August 06, 2012

In a bit of surprising move, Warner Bros. has picked up it's Christmas Day opener THE GREAT GATSBY and moved it to next summer.

Says the studio:"Based on what we’ve seen, Baz Luhrmann’s incredible work is all we anticipated and so much more. It truly brings Fitzgerald’s American classic to life in a completely immersive, visually stunning and exciting way. We think moviegoers of all ages are going to embrace it, and it makes sense to ensure this unique film reaches the largest audience possible."

I say a bit surprising as the movie is kind of a festive type affair perfect for holiday season parties and New Years Eve and further it removes it from consideration for 2012 awards. That said, there are a number of tentpoles opening in the Christmas timeframe and to best highlight the beauty of the movie it should have a cleaner swath around it at the box office. Time will tell if it was the right move.

Here's the movie's storyline:THE GREAT GATSBY follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, bootleg kings, and sky-rocketing stocks. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without of the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.

Stay tuned for more info and the exact date of release once we receive it. THE GREAT GATSBY is now slated for release in the summer of 2013.

Here's the movie's storyline:The Umbrella Corporation’s deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race’s last and only hope, Alice (Milla Jovovich), awakens in the heart of Umbrella’s most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex. Without a safe haven, Alice continues to hunt those responsible for the outbreak; a chase that takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true. Aided by newfound allies and familiar friends, Alice must fight to survive long enough to escape a hostile world on the brink of oblivion. The countdown has begun.

Saturday, August 04, 2012

As with many of you, I just soak up anything that's new from Middle-earth and this trailer has a few new bits and pieces that should be of interest.

This trailer actually pre-rolled in front of BRAVE in the US and because of the minor changes from the original online trailer, this trailer was dubbed Hobbit Trailer 1.1!

For those that would like a reference to what's new in the trailer, here's a quick cheat sheet:

0:23 — Bilbo’s reaction to Gandalf’s arrival

1:57 — Bilbo hiding behind a tree in Mirkwood

1:59 — Gandalf, the dwarves, and Bilbo running through a forest

Here's the storyline for THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY:

THE HOBBIT follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.

Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever … Gollum.

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

Friday, August 03, 2012

After Mads Mikkelsen had to step away from the role of Malekith The Accursed (very sad about that - very big fan of his work), Marvel went after non other than Doctor Who - Christopher Eccleston for the role.

According to Deadline, Eccleston has signed on so it's a done deal. Malekith often aligns with Loki so it'll be interesting to see two super villains in tandem against Thor.

Malekith is one evil character. Here are his abilities as per Wikipedia:Malekith has all the normal attributes of a member of the race of dark elves, although his abilities are as a result of above-average development. He possesses superhuman intellect, strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes. As a dark elf, Malekith also has the ability to manipulate the forces of magic for a variety of effects, including teleportation, energy projection, physical malleability, flight (by transforming into mist), illusion casting, and the ability to change the shape and appearance of other beings or objects. Malekith has a vulnerability to iron, which disrupts or cancels his magical spells.

Apparently Chris McCoy has been tapped to rewrite Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. The thrice appointed Black List director will empirically inject his own brand of comedy into what has already been written for the feature by Nicole Perlman (CHALLENGER) and maintain what we have come to expect and love from a Marvel tentpole.

Remember that we are in the post AVENGERS era now and entering Marvel's phase two which will ultimately lead up to THE AVENGERS 2. The big question for me is whether Marvel will bite the bullet and introduce Thanos (the guy at the end of THE AVENGERS credit scene) in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY or wait and have him devastate in THE AVENGERS 2.

You're witnessing art in motion here guys! The creatives at Marvel have been waiting forever to get these titles on the big screen and they are literally exploding with enthusiasm. Can't wait to see the results if THE AVENGERS are any indication of things to come!

Here's what to expect for characters in the movie:The character lineup will include Drax the Destroyer, a human resurrected as a green warrior with the sole purpose of killing Thanos (the villain in the Avengers final-scene tease); Groot, a giant tree-man; Star-Lord, a gun-toting half-human/half-alien intergalactic vigilante; Rocket Raccoon, a genetically engineered animal with a knack for guns and explosives; and Gamora, the last survivor of her species who was saved by Thanos to be his assassin but now battles him.